


When I'm feelin' alone (you remind me of home)

by Band_obsessed



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hints at pre-slash, Holidays, I hope, Kira Nerys Deserves Good Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21953935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Band_obsessed/pseuds/Band_obsessed
Summary: Kira had never understood the concept of Christmas, nor the garish lights and tasteless music that often accompanied it. In fact, she had never understood the majority of human traditions, finding the way they leaned towards greed and consumption somewhat…distasteful. It had taken both Sisko and Julian explaining to her, rather vehemently over a somewhat impromptu morning raktajino on the bridge, the true origin of Christmas for her to even begin to fathom the idea.ORJadzia invites Kira to a Christmas party, and Kira finds herself tentatively agreeing.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12
Collections: Star Trek Secret Santa 2019





	When I'm feelin' alone (you remind me of home)

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for [startrek-antagonist](https://startrek-antagonist.tumblr.com/). Merry Christmas!! I took your prompt of 'Kira Nerys having a good time' and added a small amount of Quark & Jadzia banter. I hope you enjoy it!!
> 
> (Title is taken from 'Christmas Tree Farm' by Taylor Swift)

Kira had never understood the concept of Christmas, nor the garish lights and tasteless music that often accompanied it. In fact, she had never understood the majority of _human_ traditions, finding the way they leaned towards greed and consumption somewhat…distasteful. It had taken both Sisko and Julian explaining to her, rather vehemently over a somewhat impromptu morning raktajino on the bridge, the _true_ origin of Christmas for her to even begin to fathom the idea.

It still struck her as odd how the religious aspects had become lost throughout the centuries and thought it somewhat fitting of humanity as a whole that a level of unrefined greed had replaced it. The thought was as bitter as the last sip of her raktajino.

But, nonetheless, where there was any kind of holiday, there was a party being thrown, and Kira had overheard enough conversations around the station to know at least a little of what Jadzia was planning. She couldn’t say that Jadzia’s parties were necessarily enticing, but rumours had spread quickly enough for her to know that they always lived up to their ‘infamous’ status.

In fact, Kira was halfway through a weekly report, wincing at the slightly tacky surface of the table she sat at when the PADD was snatched from her hands, an indignant reply poised on her tongue.

“Oh, oops, were you reading that?” Kira bit back the reply, allowed her scowl to lessen slightly as her lips quirked, a small, aborted twitch. She knew Jadzia caught it anyway. “Really, Nerys, you’d think you wouldn’t leave such important PADDs just… lying around.” To punctuate her point, Jadzia placed the PADD down on the table next to them, just out of reach of Kira’s fingers, and Kira felt the scowl returning.

“ _Some_ people have work to do, Dax,” Kira shot back and caught the twinkle of something mischievous reflecting in Jadzia’s eyes. She suppressed a grimace.

“Don’t give me that look, Nerys! There’s nothing wrong with a little…holiday spirit.”

“You don’t even celebrate Christmas!”

“Honestly now, I thought you would’ve known I celebrate almost everything.” The words were drawled, the end of the sentence marked with a wink, and Kira suddenly found her empty glass rather interesting.

“Well I don’t, so if you’ll excuse me—”

“I wanted to formally invite you.” The words stopped Kira in her movements, half standing, arm reaching for the PADD just out of reach. She met Jadzia’s gaze before slowly sitting back down, an eyebrow quirked.

“You know I don’t attend parties, Dax, and from what I’ve heard about yours—“

“This is different. It’s a small gathering, a celebration to friends and family, if you will. The _true_ meaning of Christmas, Kira.”

“I was under the impression that the _true_ meaning was rather religious. I never took you for the type.” A smile bloomed across Jadzia’s face at the words, the playful glint returning to her eye, and Kira forced herself to take a measured breath, hands clasped in front of her.

“Well, you never know. But no, I wanted to commemorate three years on DS9, and really, where would we all be without our Major?”

Kira hesitated a second, two, before sighing and sitting back in her chair, brows pinched together. Jadzia was watching her, face carefully neutral, but Kira could see the underlying hope in her eyes, the blue catching in the warm lighting.

“A _small_ gathering?”

“Only the senior officers and their families,” Jadzia confirmed, a small nod of her head accompanying her words.

“No loud music or flashing lights?”

“Just standard Federation lighting I’m afraid.”

“No excessive drinking? We do have duties the next day if you haven’t forgotten?”

Jadzia’s lips turned up, a small slither of white teeth gleaming in the light and Kira found the battle to be well and truly lost.

“Benjamin’s going to be there, Kira, do you think he’d stand for half his senior officers getting drunk before work?” Kira relented, closing her eyes and sending a quick prayer to the prophets, hoping this wouldn’t be something she came to regret.

“Alright, fine—“ Jadzia’s smile morphed into a grin, and she stood up, triumphant in her victory. Kira held up a hand, and motioned for her to sit back down, “ _but_ I’ll be leaving at twenty-three hundred hours, and if a light so much as _flickers_ …”

Despite herself, Kira couldn’t help but return the smile, her words hollow and devoid of any real malice or threat, and Jadzia stood once more, walking around the table until she was stood next to Kira, the PADD in one hand and Kira’s shoulder underneath the other.

“Thank you, Nerys.” She squeezed Kira’s shoulder, a mere two seconds of contact, before turning on her heel and walking out of Quark’s. Kira watched her go, something fond residing in her chest. When she glanced down at the PADD on the table, she found a time and a date typed below the paragraph she was working on.

It was only much later, as she dimmed the lights for the night, that she wondered _exactly_ what she had gotten herself into.

///

True to her word, the…’gathering’ was quietly cheerful, and Jadzia must have somehow struck an agreement with Quark to rent out the entire bar for the night. The background of quiet conversations washed over her as she entered, a few glasses sitting on tables, an effervescence liquid filling them, and Kira felt the remaining tension drain from her shoulders.

There were lights overhead, the standard lighting having been dimmed considerably, and little lights on strings took their place, draped across the upstairs railings, tumbling down in neat rows, twinkling in gentle illumination.

Despite herself, Kira couldn’t help but smile at the tasteful decorations, the soft sounds of music emanating from the speakers, some old Earth tradition, hymns and carols. It was, in a word, peaceful.

“I was wondering if you were going to show up at all.” Kira turned, saw Jadzia leaning against one of the tables, clad in a floor length royal blue gown, a slit running up the side of the thigh. Kira suddenly felt embarrassingly underdressed, and she tugged at the fabric of her own dress, inelegant and…bulky when compared to Jadzia’s. She scowled at the blush that threatened to rise to her cheeks, and quickly took the glass on the bar next to her.

“I said I would, didn’t I?” Kira asked, and Jadzia hummed, turning her head to look over her shoulder for a moment, her hair following the movement, cascading down her back in gentle waves. Kira’s grip on the glass tightened.

“Seems you’ve become the guest of honour!” Jadzia’s exclamation was bright and Kira found herself following Jadzia’s gaze, landing on the small crowd of senior officers whose conversation had halted. Their eyes lingered on Kira’s form in something akin to shock, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Guess I should go and say hello then.” Jadzia smiled, offering her arm to Kira as they approached the others.

“Well, this certainly _is_ a surprise, Major. And here I thought my attempts at explaining Christmas were unsuccessful.” Sisko’s voice was warm, friendly in a way it wasn’t when he was on duty, and Kira smiled in response.

“Well, it isn’t everyday that Dax throws a…tasteful party.”

Sisko raised his glass to that, the crystal catching the light, and Kira found herself swept into conversation after conversation, time only monitored by the draining of glasses and gentle lulls in discussion.

It was only when the music skipped a track, changing to something lively, rhythmic, that the conversations dwindled in surprise. The string lights had lost their monochromatic glow, instead adopting a rotation of several colours, subdued but bright in their illumination.

Kira’s lips curved up unintentionally as she observed a slightly tipsy Jake and Nog create somewhat of a makeshift dance floor, clearing tables and bar stools alike until there was feasibly enough room to move around.

Content to watch the events unfold, Kira took a seat, her glass empty in her hands.

“Another refill, Major?” Quark asked, and Kira raised her brow, setting her glass down at the bar.

“Depends what it’ll cost me,” she replied, and Quark’s mouth opened, the first syllable of the sentence uttered before Jadzia slid onto the stool next to Kira, eyes gleaming in the low light.

“I think what Quark is trying to say is that the drinks for tonight are on the house.”

That did startle a laugh from Kira, fingers nudging her glass towards Quark with an expression close to glee.

“You’re saying Quark’s giving out _free_ drinks?” Kira asked, observing the small twitch of Quark’s eye, the tightening of his grip around the bottle of alcohol.

“We came to a…certain understanding.” Jadzia’s expression was nothing short of coy, a single brow arched.

“I think Odo would love to get his hands on your tactics.”

“Well, some things are best-kept secret.”

The conversation lulled, and Kira was content to sip on the drink in her hand and watch varying members of the senior staff…'dance’ in the cleared space, a faint smile playing across her lips.

“Care for a dance?” Jadzia asked, and Kira laughed before she could stop herself, a brow arching in surprise.

“Me? Dancing? I don’t think so.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun! Besides, even Benjamin’s up there, and you _are_ the guest of honour.”

Kira held Jadzia’s gaze defiantly, and some of the excitement slipped from her face, eyes wide and pleading.

“No, Jadzia. I mean it.”

Jadzia held her hands up in mock surrender, but Kira saw the underlying disappointment lingering across her face. She busied herself with her drink.

“Well then, at least join me in ranking the best and worst dancers of the night.”

Turning back to face her, Kira set down her drink and smiled, watching Jadzia mirror the action, features soft in the dim light.

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

There was a clear divide between some of the crew, and Kira found herself laughing at the absurdity of the dances Jake and Nog were attempting, her head feeling lighter as the volume in her glass got lower.

A minute later and Nog stumbled, bringing a barstool down with him, and he sat on the floor for a moment, dazed, before Jake’s laughter echoed over the music.

“You’re right,” Kira spoke, watching Jadzia drain her glass, “this _is_ entertaining.”

“Have I ever led you astray?” Jadzia retorted, and Kira found herself pondering the question for a moment, before shaking her head with a small laugh and another sip of her drink.

Slowly, one by one, the senior crew joined them, and Kira took no small amount of amusement at watching Quark’s eye twitch with every free drink he poured. She’d never seen Odo look so… _happy_.

As loathe as she was to admit it, Kira _was_ having a good time, and as the conversations trickled into one another, she found herself realising that she’d spent more time talking to each and every person there than she had in years.

When the music faded out, and the drinks were emptied for a final time, Kira stood, a smile still playing on her lips as she fell into hug after hug, unable to remember a time she felt so cared for, so close to people she had only tolerated three years ago.

It was only when Jadzia leaned against the bar to slip off her heels did Kira suddenly wonder the time, and a quick glance at the nearest monitor told her it was zero-one-hundred hours. Setting her glass down for a final time she waited for Jadzia before making her way to the exit, hearing the gentle swish of Jadzia’s dress on the floor beside her.

“Merry Christmas, Nerys,” Jadzia spoke, voice loud in the quiet, the only other noise the ambient at best, the deep hum of machinery, the distant sounds of maintenance work.

“Merry Christmas, Jadzia.” Kira paused before adding, “thank you for inviting me.”

Jadzia’s smile was her only answer, their shoulders brushing as they rounded the corner to the habitat ring. When they reached Kira’s quarters they slowed, the conversation dwindling to a stop.

“Thank you. I mean it, honestly,” Kira said, voice sincere, and she watched Jadzia smile, a small hint of white breaking through her lips.

“I’m glad you had a good time. Everybody deserves a break, space station major or not.”

When the doors to her quarters slid open, Kira stepped in, bidding Jadzia a final farewell before walking towards her room. She stopped. There was something on the table, a small box, wrapped in red paper. Kira paused, tentatively picking it up, fingers toying with the loose flap of paper.

Before she could think better of it, she pulled the paper, the contents catching the light from the room, glinting brightly. Glass.

It was a hologram projector. Pressing the button on the base, she stilled, her breath stilted as she took in the projection. Kira remembered the photo being taken, the second week of her posting aboard DS9, the first time she had started to enjoy the assignment.

She placed it on the table with a faint smile, and turned back to the wrapping, feeling a small card slip free from the paper. Opening it, she read the small cursive script, shaking her head fondly at Jadzia’s familiar writing.

_”Home is not a place.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas everyone!!


End file.
